Airbags are an important safety device used in vehicles such as automobiles. They are designed to deploy in the event of a collision in order to protect occupants of the vehicle. However, they can also present hazards.
Airbags can present a hazard, for example, after a collision. In particular, an undeployed or under-deployed airbag can deploy at an inopportune time and cause injury or other damage. For example, during a rescue attempt, if the airbag deploys while a rescuer or other individual is in the field of deployment, the airbag can injure the person. There has been at least one instance where an airbag deployed during a rescue attempt and injured both a first responder and an occupant of the vehicle.
As a result of this potential danger, first responders have developed protocols for dealing with the potential undesired deployment of airbags. In particular, first responders are typically advised to disconnect the battery in order to reduce the chance of undesired airbag deployment. However, airbags can still deploy, even after the battery has been disconnected. This deployment can take place from a few seconds to up to 30 minutes or more after the battery has been disconnected, depending on the model of the airbag. Therefore, first responders also typically wait for at least a few minutes after the battery has been disconnected before placing themselves or others within the field of deployment of undeployed airbags.
Delays in rescuing vehicle occupants can be dangerous. For example, an occupant may be injured, or the vehicle may be in danger of catching on fire or already be burning. In situations where time is of the essence, delays caused by disconnecting a battery and waiting after the battery has been disconnected can lead to injury and death. In addition, it may be impractical to disconnect the battery, depending on the damage to the vehicle or its proximity to other objects that may block access to the battery.
There are other situations where deployment of an airbag can be dangerous or undesirable. For example, when a mechanic works in the vicinity of an airbag, the mechanic may be in danger of injury, in particular, if the vehicle has been damaged or the airbag deployment system has been compromised.
Therefore, it would be useful to reduce the danger from undeployed airbags.
It would be useful to reduce the danger from undeployed airbags in a manner that is simple.
It would be useful to reduce the danger from undeployed airbags in a manner that is easy to accomplish.
It would be useful to reduce the danger from undeployed airbags in a manner that is quick.
It would be useful to reduce the danger from undeployed airbags in a manner that is inexpensive.